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“That faggot doesn’t deserve to live, somebody should
beat the shit out of him, drag him behind a truck and
shoot him and leave him out in the country to die…”
– said by a student in a suburban Iowa high school
“Sit down fairy…” – said by an Iowa teacher
I was simply ‘the faggot’ to many people…harassing
phone calls were a routine…someone called my father and
asked if I would like to be handicapped. – student, rural
Iowa school district
These words and harassment are things that gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender (GLBT) students deal with everyday in our
schools and communities. Making schools a safe place for
all children, particularly GLBT students, is difficult and
an issue that many prefer would go away. Unfortunately,
school administrators, teachers, school board members, other
school personnel such as nurses, guidance counselors and
social workers, as well as parents and students, are
hampered by the lack of information and resources for
teaching and meeting the educational needs of GLBT
students.
The emergence of the GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force in April
2002 was critical in filling this information gap and in
improving the safety and awareness of GLBT students in Iowa.
The Task Force was initiated as a partnership with the
Iowa Civil Rights, and is a broad-based coalition, comprised
of representatives from major statewide education
organizations and leaders in the civil rights, gay/lesbian
and business community.
The Task Force’s mission is to increase understanding in
local school districts and communities about GLBT students,
increase awareness and address the inequities regarding
safety of GLBT students in Iowa, and improve school climate
in order to increase the personal safety, mental health, and
achievement levels of GLBT students. In our short
existence, we have helped create safer schools for GLBT
students. Our accomplishments since inception include:
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Provided panels or speakers at over 75 education
conferences or educator trainings that were attended by
over 2,000 individuals, including school board members,
school superintendents, principals, nurses, counselors,
teachers, student teachers, alternative school
personnel, coaches, social workers, and parents
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Sponsored 19 public forums in Ames, Burlington, Cedar
Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport (2),
Decorah, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Grinnell,
Indianola, Iowa City, Marshalltown, Mason City, Pella,
Sioux City, and Waterloo were attended by over 2,500
parents, educators and others concerned about the safety
and success of GLBT students in Iowa schools.
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Hosted the Governor’s Conference on LGBT Youth, which
was attended by over 500 educators, parents, students,
and policy makers from over 80 communities in Iowa.
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Worked with Governor’s Office, legislators, and public
policy makers on policies to ensure the safety of GLBT
students, as well as those perceived to be GLBT.
Successful in getting the School Administrators of Iowa,
Iowa State Education Association, Iowa Department of
Education, and Iowa Association of School Boards to
endorse or encourage safe school policies that protect
GLBT students.
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Developed and disseminated a 50+ page resource booklet
on “Making Our Schools Safe for GLBT Students” to over
15,000 people.
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Prepared and disseminated a report, “Findings and
Recommendations,” which is contained in the resource
booklet. This report highlights the school climate for
GLBT students in Iowa and was distributed to public
policy makers and elected officials, including the Iowa
Legislature.
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Received the Friends of Iowa Civil Rights Award for
Education in 2003.
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Received the Mary Louise Smith Award for Human Rights
from the Des Moines Human Rights Commission in 2006.
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